See Taylor Swift’s best announcement looks before the wedding rumors

Taylor Swift has a habit of arriving at big events flanked by other headliners that night. The Video of the Year win served as an album announcement, two Ellas tour concerts doubled as “Taylor’s Version” launch parties, and the 2024 Grammys introduced an entirely new category before the ceremony ended.

That history is especially important ahead of Swift and Travis Kelce’s rumored July 3 wedding at Madison Square Garden. Street permits, fencing, and a suspicious amount of foliage suggest a wedding celebration, but neither Swift nor Kelce have publicly acknowledged what’s happening inside the arena.

The remaining uncertainty has led the Swifties to become so-called “clowns,” applying thorough scrutiny to every permit, flower delivery, and suspicious silence. One theory is that Swift announced her record label in lieu of her wedding, or somewhere between the vows and the cake. This idea remains more fan speculation than reported fact, but given her publication history, the urge to investigate is understandable.

Swift’s clothes haven’t always provided clues that anyone could reasonably solve in advance. Sometimes she turns the entire concert blue.

Take a look back at the dresses, stage outfits, and surprisingly casual separates Swift wore to share some of her biggest career and personal news.

“Midnights” at the MTV VMAs, 2022

Swift arrived at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards looking very much like the trophy she will soon win. Her Oscar de la Renta minidress was formed of strands of crystals draped over a nude base, had an open back, and had lots of beads dangling around the arms. Silver Christian Louboutin T-strap sandals and Lorraine Schwartz jewelry had very little unused shine.

While accepting the video of the year award for “All Too Well: The Short Film,” Swift announced that her 10th studio album will be released on October 21st. A few hours later, she revealed the title “Midnight” as the watch offered a promotional opportunity.

The dress didn’t preview the muted browns, navy blues, and ’70s textures that would come to define the era, but for the afterparty, she changed into a divine midnight blue Moschino dress.

“Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” (Ellas Tour, 2023)

Swift returned to Nashville on May 5, 2023, and had other plans besides returning home. During her acoustic set on the Eras tour, she performed “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” wearing a custom deep red Jessica Jones dress with ruffled cold-shoulder sleeves, stacked pleats, and an asymmetrical tiered hem.

The costume itself didn’t give me the answer. The work was sent to the stadium’s screens, which flashed the album cover and July 7 release date in purple, before Swift performed “Sparks Fly.” The new artwork completes the trip to 2010, showing Swift in a purple Giambattista Valli haute couture dress and curls associated with the original era.

Nashville’s pedestrian bridges also turned purple in case anyone in the city missed the point.

“1989 (Taylor’s Version)” (Ellas Tour, 2023)

For “1989 (Taylor’s Version)”, it would be suspicious if there was one blue costume. Swift debuted with five cars.

During the final Los Angeles concert of the first U.S. leg of her Elas tour on August 9, Swift moved through the show wearing one new blue outfit after another. Nicole + Felicia created a gown for “Enchanted” embellished with cascading silver and blue strands. Alberta Ferretti contributed chiffon dresses and capes encrusted with rhinestones to the Folklore section. A turquoise Roberto Cavalli fringed top and skirt appeared in 1989 and was paired with crystal-encrusted Christian Louboutin boots.

Swift ultimately wore a blue Jessica Jones wrap dress during the acoustic portion of Cavalli’s set, where she officially announced the album. At that point, Wardrobe had been trying to tell everyone for several hours. She acknowledged the increasingly obvious set-up and asked if the audience noticed the new costumes before turning their attention to the screen.

Unlike the “Speak Now” announcement, which fit into the tour’s existing fashion structure, “1989” briefly recolored several other eras for one announcement.

“Tortured Poets” at the Grammy Awards, 2024

Swift showed up at the 2024 Grammy Awards in a look the internet believed had already been cracked. According to most of the pre-show analysis that night, the answer was “Reputation (Taylor’s version).” It wasn’t.

She wore a custom off-white Schiaparelli haute couture dress by Danielle Rosebery. Featuring a draped strapless bodice, corseted back, thigh-high slit and long train. Her layered black velvet opera gloves, black Giuseppe Zanotti heels, and Lorraine Schwartz jewelry gave fans plenty to work with. The clock, which had been converted into a diamond choker, had its hands set to midnight, but this did not preclude further investigation.

Swift then won Best Pop Vocal Album for “Midnights” and released “The Tortured Poets Division.” Suddenly, ivory dresses, black accessories, and a bit of Victorian style belonged in an album that no one was looking for.

Whether it’s July 3rd for wedding photos, business news, or a day the internet has never guessed correctly, Swift’s history shows why fans are holding out for new announcements. She’s turned award shows into album launches, concerts into re-recording parties and her fiancé’s football podcast into the night of a new era. At this point, it’s almost surprising that one big event generates just one big headline.